Watch your Ps & Qs... and your WTFs & OMGs...

Keep Your Personal Profile Clean and Professional

Sure it's great to have fun on Facebook and Twitter.  And despite your best efforts to keep your privacy settings in check, your information will inadvertently leak out via friends and family... meaning that your seemingly insignificant photos, videos, status posts and game playing choices can have a negative impact on your future.

In August 2009, CarreerBuilder.com released a survey indicating that 45% of employers use Facebook and Twitter to screen job candidates... a more than 100% increase from the 22% recorded in 2008.  Another 11% plan to start using social networking sites for screening.  2,600 hiring managers participated in the survey, which was completed in June 2009.  Of those who conduct online searches/background checks of job candidates, 29% used Facebook, 26%used LinkedIn and 21% used MySpace. One-in-ten (11%) searched blogs while 7% followed the candidates on Twitter.  Although no recent surveys appear to have been released, one need only to use common sense to conclude that as social media and social networking continues to grow, more employers will be using these sites to screen potential employees.

Be mindful of the information you post online and how you communicate directly with employers. Thirty-five percent of employers reported they have found content on social networking sites that caused them not to hire the candidate.

Here are the top 8 reasons employers who were surveyed disregarded candidates after screening them online:

1. Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information – 53%
2. Candidate posted content about them drinking or using drugs – 44%
3. Candidate bad-mouthed their previous employer, co-workers or clients – 35%
4. Candidate showed poor communication skills – 29%
5. Candidate made discriminatory comments – 26%
6. Candidate lied about qualifications – 24%
7. Candidate shared confidential information from previous employer – 20%
8. 14% percent of employers have disregarded a candidate because the candidate sent a message using an emoticon such as a smiley face while 16% dismissed a candidate for using text language such as GR8 (great) in an e-mail or job application.

Does that mean you need to STOP using social media?  Absolutely not!  In fact, just the opposite is encouraged.  You need to realize that you CAN leverage social media when advertising your skills and experience.  18% percent of employers reported they found content on social networking sites that caused them to hire the candidate.

Here are the top 7 reasons why employers who were surveyed hired candidates after screening them online:

1. Profile provided a good feel for the candidate’s personality and fit – 50%
2. Profile supported candidate’s professional qualifications – 39%
3. Candidate was creative – 38%
4. Candidate showed solid communication skills – 35%
5. Candidate was well-rounded – 33%
6. Other people posted good references about the candidate – 19%
7. Candidate received awards and accolades – 15%

“Social networking is a great way to make connections with potential job opportunities and promote your personal brand across the Internet,” said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder. “Make sure you are using this resource to your advantage by conveying a professional image and underscoring your qualifications.”

Haefner recommends the following DOs and DON’Ts to keep a positive image online:

1. DO clean up digital dirt BEFORE you begin your job search. Remove any photos, content and links that can work against you in an employer’s eyes.
2. DO consider creating your own professional group on sites like Facebook or BrightFuse.com to establish relationships with thought leaders, recruiters and potential referrals.
3. DO keep gripes offline. Keep the content focused on the positive, whether that relates to professional or personal information. Makes sure to highlight specific accomplishments inside and outside of work.
4. DON’T forget others can see your friends, so be selective about who you accept as friends. Monitor comments made by others. Consider using the “block comments” feature or setting your profile to “private” so only designated friends can view it.
5. DON’T mention your job search if you’re still employed.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive© on behalf of CareerBuilder.com between May 22 and June 10, 2009 among 2,667 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time; not self-employed; with at least significant involvement in hiring decisions; non- government) ages 18 and over. With a pure probability sample of 2,667 one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 1.9 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies.

About CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset – their people. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com, is the largest in the U.S. with more than 23 million unique visitors, 1 million jobs and 32 million resumes. CareerBuilder works with the world’s top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to talent acquisition. More than 9,000 Web sites, including 140 newspapers and broadband portals such as MSN and AOL, feature CareerBuilder’s proprietary job search technology on their career sites. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com/.

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